My Favorite Fool
by psychedelicstorytime
Summary: Circus AU. "Clowns are very good at smiling, I could teach you how, If you'd like." T for Romano's swearing.
1. A Schedule Change

The sound of the accordion drifted through the air, the notes pulling the crowd of people closer to the tent. Children were laughing, smiling, and darting between the legs of their parents and all of the other people to get a better view of the entrance and the Clowns situated at the front, White faced and brightly clothed. One was happily playing the accordion, The large grin on his face endearing while he sang a song, while the other, Whose smile was a little more strained, passed out balloons to the children, tying the string around their wrists if they were too small to keep track of it.

At the end of the song, the Accordion player turned to the other Clown, Nudging him with his hand and saying quietly, "We have to go get ready for the show now, it's going to start soon." Passing out his last balloon, the other clown Let the smile fall from his face and scowled.

"We would have been gone already if you hadn't insisted on playing such a long song, bas- Feli." He cut himself off with a swift bite to his lip. He was always getting in trouble for swearing in front of the children, and that meant he'd have to miss dinner.

Holding his accordion in front of him and slightly cowering in mock surrender, Feliciano simply nodded, saying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Lovino, But the children like that song!" When Lovino simply huffed in response and rolled his eyes, Feliciano had to suppress a giggle and an impish grin. While his brother may act all tough, He knew that Lovino was a soft one on the inside, it was the only way he could possibly be a decent clown with otherwise bad interpersonal skills.

Grabbing Lovino's wrist and keeping his grip on the accordion with the other, Feliciano began a swift walk around the tent, Quietly worming his way in and out of large groups of people. When they finally reached the back of the tent, they ducked quickly under the tent flap only to be greeted by the loud voice of the ringmaster, Waving his hands in various directions while he was giving instructions to different performers passing by, his big blue eyes shining behind his glasses, a large, charismatic grin on his face.

"Alright, The trapeze artists are going to go out first, the Clowns second-Where are the clowns, anyway?" He looked around, Trying to pick out the brothers in the crowd of performers.

"Alfred, We're over here!" Feliciano raised his arm and waved it, trying to get the ringmaster's attention so they wouldn't get in trouble for being late. Again.

"There you are! Alright, Everything is pretty much normal today, except, later in the show You're going on with the Lion Tamer, remember?" Feliciano and Lovino Froze. The lion tamer. Who was the lion tamer? They had never worked with the lion tamer! They looked at each other and then back at Alfred, whose grin was still plastered on his face.

"No, We don't! We don't even know who that is!" They spoke in a panicked unison, with Lovino adding a few choice words at the end get his displeasure across.

Alfred blinked with confusion. "I thought I told you last night….Ah well! It's fairly simple, You two just have to change costume and bring out the props for his act, since he's going to be handling the animals." He shrugged and grinned. "Elizavetta has your costumes over there, so you two just get ready for your first act. Don't worry, it'll be fine. He's good at what he does, so It's not like you'll get eaten!" And with that, he walked off, Calling to the acrobats to get ready to go, they were going on right after the clowns.

Lovino remained silent for a moment before he started screaming angrily in his mother tongue, the Italian pouring out of his lips like molten metal. Feliciano Just remained quiet, looking quite stunned and disturbed by the sudden schedule change. "I really don't want to get eaten…." Feliciano laughed almost hysterically, stopping when it began to degenerate into a mixture of sobbing and "ve" noises. He was never going to get used to how the ringmaster liked to change the schedule, since it usually ended badly for him and his brother. ("They're clowns, they won't get upset!" That was the ringmaster's faulty reasoning in these decisions.)

"Who's this Lion Tamer anyway? I seriously want to give the bastard a piece of my mind! Who does he think he is, having us help him with his Act?" Lovino's anger was totally misplaced, the Lion Tamer probably hadn't even asked. He was wasn't going to call out the ringmaster, though. He really didn't want to get on his boss's bad side. He always had a smile on his face, but the ringmaster still had the ability to leave him and his brother on the side of the road on "accident." He wasn't going to forget that.

Before Feliciano could say anything, The lights dimmed and they heard the Ringmaster's voice booming from in the ring. The show had begun.

Muttering Angrily in Italian Once more, Lovino grabbed Feliciano's hand and dragged him over to the side to get their props. The trapeze act was a total of maybe fifteen minutes. They had to change costume and fix their makeup before beginning their series of skits and minor acrobatics (Juggling, A few Flips, maybe something on a unicycle depending on the day, things like that.) and that would take a maximum of Nineteen minutes before they exited stage.

Feliciano finished changing last, picking up a small concertina and pulling on his hat just as the applause resounded from the driection of the ring and the lights began to move from the top of the tent to the bottom. Lovino came up behind him and pushed him rather roughly forward, and he allowed his knees to buckle as he was sent tumbling into the center of the ring. When the scenery stopped spinning, He looked up, seeing all of the faces in the seats. Shaking his head quickly, He smiled widely and got up, beginning to play the concertina.

In a series of exaggerated motions, He feigned dizziness and the concertina complained with loud, ugly noises as he pressed various buttons before flopping forward once more. A small murmur of laughter made it's way through the bleachers. Lovino came tearing into the ring at an angry pace, Telling him to get up and calling him names in Italian.

And that was how this particular set of Skits went. Feliciano played the lovable but bumbling fool and Lovino Chastised him thoroughly through out the act. It never seemed to fail at making people laugh, that kind of dynamic was tried in true, one of the oldest forms of comedy.

Throughout the performance, Feliciano would try to play his concertina, and be foiled by Lovino, telling him something like nobody wanted to hear it and to stop, and they'd do other acts until the end of the skit.

Then, Feliciano would puff out his chest, figuratively grow a spine, and play his concertina proudly and beautifully. At the end of the short musical number he would squeeze the instrument shut on his brother's nose and stick out his tongue.

The Fool Triumphs.

And then they were running out of the Ring, Feliciano blowing kisses to a laughing and happy crowd, Lovino spluttering in angry Italian. Feliciano Ducked under a tent flap and stifled a chuckle as his brother came in, still unhappy looking and red faced.

"Aw, Don't be angry at me, You know that's how that act goes!" Feliciano poked his brother's nose and looked up at him with a small pout before He was yanked to the side by Elizavetta, her long hair getting in his face as she dragged him towards the costumes.

Elizavetta made a lot of the costumes for the circus, and was quite good at it. She also repaired ripped stitches and the like with equal skill. She seemed to have a penchant for making the male performers try on her dresses, though….

Lovino followed rather begrudgingly, Muttering and scowling the whole way. He still hadn't quite forgiven her for trying to make him wear a tutu a few months back, and refused to be left In her care with no one else around.

"…And here we are!" Elizavetta Pulled out the two costumes, thankfully fairly simple and comfortable looking. "Alright, Feliciano, Just put on the pants while I get the sash for the shirt, Ok?" Feli nodded and complied, Scrambling out of his clown costume and pulling on the dark brown pants.

"Elizavetta, These are a little small, don't you think?" He looked up helplessly. The "Pants" Were more like leggings than anything, made of a soft material that clung to his skin. He was a little unnerved, to say the least. His brother was faring worse, Angrily mumbling swear words at his own matching pair of pants.

"It'll be fine!" Elizavetta brushed of the question and Pulled of the brightly patterned shirt that went with Feliciano's clown Costume, and Pulled a fairly loose tunic light shirt over his head, the muted gold of the fabric coming to rest about three inches above his knee. Groping behind her, she found the burgundy sash and wrapped it around his waist, giggling at the squeak of surprise Feliciano let out when she tightened the know a little roughly.

"No way, just give me the shirt, I'm dressing myself!" Lovino backed away when Elizavetta moved towards him, and She sighed and gave in, handing him a similar shirt in a mint green color and a dark purple sash.

"Suit yourself, Just remember to put on the boots with the buttons on the side." Feliciano had Already finished pulling on the boots and was wiping the last of the makeup off of his face when Elizavetta came back to him, and he didn't noticed the small gold earring she was holding in her hand until she tried to ram it through his left earlobe.

Letting out an audible squawk of pain, He fell sideways against a rack of costumes and had to be helped out by his brother, who was yelling at Elizavetta and calling her crazy. Her shoulders sank when she realized she was not going to get the cute little Italian clowns to walk out with matching pierced ears for this, like she wanted. Oh well.

"Ah well." She shrugged and apologized, saying it was for the show (Really, it was just her personal preference.) And that she wouldn't try it again. (Today, anyways.) While Romano chastised his brother (Who was helping him remove the last of his makeup) For squeaking so femininely, Elizavetta turned and waved in the driection of entrance to the back of the tent, send a cheerful greeting in that direction. "Ludwig! Your act is up soon, so Just finish getting ready, alright? Lovino, Feliciano! This is the Lion Tamer, Who you're going to be working with!"

Feliciano wiped the last bit of Makeup from his brother's face before turning to see this "Ludwig." His eyes were met with the sight of an imposing individual and his jaw dropped a little.

Ludwig was muscular and was fairly tall (Certainly taller than Feliciano.) with a face set into such a serious expression that the man seemed to chill the air within his proximity. His blond hair slicked severely back and his outfit was immaculate. The black pants had no trace of dust and he was Adjusting a red tie that contrasted sharply with a shirt that was white like snow.

Feliciano pushed his jaw back up and Looked away, pulling a little on a portion of his own hair, winding the copper colored strands Around his fingers in an attempt to not be noticed. He didn't want to get on this guy's bad side. It would be fantastic if this person just didn't notice him at all.


	2. I think he Likes you

Lovino had decided that the best thing to do was yell angrily in this situation, calling Ludwig a variety of names, All of them generally a variant or combination of "Muscle head", "Macho", and "Bastard". Ludwig had crossed the room to get some props lined up for the show, arranging them in the order they'd have to be brought out, spending as much as three or four minutes making sure something laid in a certain way, whatever it may be. Feliciano could already tell he was one of those overly organized types. He probably made lists of everything and planned out things as simple as getting up in the morning.

Such a person usually had an explosive temper when their plans and patterns were disrupted. Feliciano knew this and was about ready to bury his face in his hands. It was going to be hell working for this guy if he half as stern as he looked. Thankfully, The lion tamer noticed Lovino first, since he was shouting. Ludwig turned around and raised an eyebrow, eyes passing over Lovino quickly before he turned to Elizavetta.

"Is this one of the people that the Ringmaster wanted to assist me?" His confusion was evident, Feliciano could only guess that a clown with a filthy mouth wasn't exactly what he was expecting. Elizavetta smiled and nodded.

"Yes, and his brother, too! Aren't they the cutest? They're actually clowns, but you couldn't tell now that I dressed them up, could you?" Elizavetta sighed happily and puffed up a little with pride. Sometimes Feliciano thought she enjoyed her job a little too much.

"Clowns?" Ludwig's eyes widened a little. He seemed to think for a moment before sighing and muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "That's just wonderful" before looking back over at the brothers, appearing to notice Feliciano for the first time.

Deciding that he should speak up, Feliciano happily saluted, albeit with the wrong hand. "We may be clowns, but we fill in for people in other acts all the time! I'm sure we can help you!" He grinned and looked Ludwig squarely in the eyes, trying to find an expression other than annoyance and anxiety in their icy depths.

Unfortunately, Ludwig just coughed uncomfortably and looked away. Feliciano pouted a little, it wasn't the reaction he was going for. Lovino began to grumble something about an "unfriendly muscle head" before Feliciano nudged him quickly. Ludwig had started to talk again.

"Right then. All I need help with is bringing out a few of the props during the act." He began to list what props went where, and when they went in those places, scarcely stopping to breathe, only repeating directions when the brothers looked confused (Which was the expression they wore through half of the instructions) or asked questions (Which they did quite often).

By the end of the lecture, he was obviously on edge and looked like he was going to throw something if Feliciano or Lovino spoke another word. So, Feliciano was content to stand and wait for the act to start, occasionally letting out a noise that sounded like "Ve" to cover up his brother's angry Muttering.

From the ring, the Ringmaster's voice could be heard again, giving a loud and exuberant thank you to the previous performers, and getting the crowd riled up for the next act, which so happened to be the Lion Tamer. Feliciano looked around for Ludwig for some kind of signal as to when to go out with the first set of props, since he had already forgotten some of the instructions, but he was gone.

Elizavetta noticed Feliciano's confusion, and pushed him and Lovino towards the first set of props. "He's going to lead the animals around the ring for a few minutes, first, so the crowd can see them, watch for when he goes to the center of the Ring, you can start following all of his instructions then."

Taking a hold of a hoop, Feliciano Stood by the entrance to ring, quietly watching as Ludwig brought the animals into the ring. There were two big cats, both were lions, muscular and ferocious looking. "Just like Ludwig," Feliciano quietly mused to himself.

And it was true. While he had looked intimidating backstage, he was even more so now, standing rigidly straight and taking calculated steps around the ring, controlling the large creatures with slight hand movements and his eyes. When one moved from the path it was following and began tensing up and looking at Ludwig in a less than friendly manner, Felicano held his breath along with the rest of the crowd, and he could feel Lovino inch closer, as though to get farther away from the creature, even though he wasn't out in the ring with it.

Ludwig made eye contact with it and motioned quickly for it to move back into place. The creature didn't move at first, so Ludwig took a step towards it, and pushed gently on the side of its muzzle.

"Is he out of his goddamned mind? Lion tamer or not, I seriously doubt it's a good idea to touch the thing!" Lovino was hissing into Feliciano's ear, and his fingers wound into the fabric of his sleeve. Feliciano didn't respond, he was too busy watching the Lion to see what it would do.

The Lion snorted petulantly, exhaling sharply through it's nose, but moved back into place without incident. Feliciano released the breath he had been holding and smiled a little. "At least he knows what he's doing, right?" Feliciano patted his brother's fingers, earning himself a mumbled response and a small shove.

Ludwig began to move to the center of the ring, And when he was almost there, Feliciano went out himself, pulling his brother lightly into the ring behind him, only letting go when he got close to the area that was lighted by the spotlights above. He walked as calmly as he could manage, standing straight and holding onto the Hoop tightly, as Ludwig had advised him to do. His brother was Just an inch or two behind, the small smile he used for shows plastered on his face with a stressful twitch at its corners.

The walk seemed unimaginably long to Feliciano, and he felt like he could hear or see everything. He was very aware of the eyes of the lions on him, the sound of his feet quietly making contact with the dirt. And though the large creatures scared the living daylights out of him, no matter how well behaved they were, Feliciano still had a smile on his face, with nothing else going on with his manner to indicate his internal stress. He just wanted to make it in and out of the ring without incident.

He wasn't going to be so Lucky.

He reached Ludwig and handed him the hoop, placing it into the taller man's hands and looking up at his face. Ludwig gave him a nod that was a mixture of Approval and thanks, and Lovino came up quickly behind, handing the hoop to Ludwig in a slightly more forceful action, and Didn't stay for more than a few seconds before turning and leaving Feliciano behind in the ring, obviously wanting to get as far away from Ludwig and the Lions as Possible. Feliciano delayed for maybe two or three seconds more, moving a little slower than his brother, expecting to make it to the flap leading to the backstage portion of the tent.

He was not expecting to be cut off by a five hundred pound lion nudging him in the stomach with its muzzle.

It looked up into his eyes with its own, and Feliciano didn't know what to do, so he froze, doing his best to hide the shaking that was quickly overtaking his limbs. The Lion's eyes were large and golden, and also extremely unreadable to Feliciano. He didn't know if it was angry or had run into him on an accident.

But, considering who its master was, he was seriously doubting that this lion had accidents or made mistakes.

He inhaled sharply when he felt Ludwig come up behind him and place a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Ludwig, who was making small motions to the lion, trying to get it to move back in place. However, the creature refused to budge, and buried its muzzle in Feliciano's stomach again, pushing at the fabric of his shirt with its nose.

Ludwig looked concerned, to say the least, and Feliciano was about ready to faint. This was not how he pictured his death. He really didn't like the idea of being torn to shreds in front of hundreds of people in a cheerfully colored circus tent. His blood would get all over the streamers, and it would be an awful mess.

Ludwig reached under Feliciano's arm with a muffled apology, placing his other hand on the clown's back to steady himself. He pushed gently on the Lion's nose, gloved fingers staying on the lion's muzzle for a moment until it lowered its head in what appeared to be surrender, and it proceed to walk around Feliciano.

However, When it passed Feliciano's Arm, It raised its head once more and licked his wrist with a rough pink tongue, looking up at Ludwig in what Feliciano guessed to be defiance before taking its place next to the other lion.

Feliciano exhaled and looked at Ludwig for direction. He didn't know what to do in this kind of situation. Though the lion's strange behavior had been resolved without incident, It certainly didn't look like part of the show. Ludwig looked as lost for what to do as he was, so, to save the rest of the act, he laughed it off, Shrugging at Ludwig.

"I guess he likes me." He moved to leave, and Ludwig took the hint.

"Right…I suppose he does." Ludwig responded a little stiffly, but thankfully the audience fell for it and , assuming it was some kind of staged show stunt, a small murmur of laughter went through the crowd.

And so Feliciano made it backstage before collapsing onto a trunk and burying his head in his hands. Lovino was swearing profusely, checking his brother over for cuts or bites.

"When I next talk to that Bastard, I'm going to give him hell for this! Just who does he think he is, putting my brother in Danger?" Lovino huffed angrily, and Feliciano stood up in a wobbly fashion to go and get the next props ready. They had to finish the show.

The rest of the act went without incident, The lions staying in line and doing as they were instructed. Feliciano still smiled and handed Ludwig the props, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he did so.

When the show ended, there was a huge round of applause, and Feliciano felt fairly accomplished. At least the people had a good time. He was at the entrance helping people out, gently pushing children back into the midst of their parents and passing them small pieces of candy as he did so. Surprisingly, he was recognized by a few out of his make-up.

"That was so neat when the Lion licked your hand! Was it scary?" A small child with braids in her hair was looking up at him expectantly. He blinked for a minute, and then laughed, passing her a brightly wrapped caramel. "A little, but he's a very nice Lion, you see. So it wasn't so bad."

When all of the people were gone, He was asked by one of the acrobats to help sweep out the tent, and he agreed, taking up a push broom and pushing dust and a few stray pieces of popcorn out of the spaces in between the bleachers. He had almost forgotten about the incident about an hour later, when he had finished about two or three sections, and was getting ready to go eat when he was greeted by a familiar face.

"Yo! Feli, You should give me a hug, I was pretty awesome today!" Feliciano Leaned on his push broom and turned his head to see Gilbert, the horse trainer, Standing about two feet away with arms outstretched, expecting a hug. With a smile, Feliciano complied, giving him a squeeze before Responding.

"Ciao! That's good to hear, Gilbert- Oh! Hello to you, too." The small bird that was ever present with Gilbert had launched itself off of his head and onto Feliciano's shoulder, burrowing its way into the crook of his neck.

Gilbert snickered and shook his head. "You little Traitor." The bird squeaked petulantly in response. "Oh! Feli, my not so awesome brother wants to see you."

Feliciano furrowed his brows. "You have a brother?" He didn't remember Gilbert ever mentioning a brother.

"Yeah, He was too young to leave home when I got my Job here. When we went back to Germany about a month back I ran into him again, only to find out he had went and become a Lion Tamer. Can you believe that?" Gilbert shrugged. "I guess it's his own way of following in his older Brother's footsteps. Anyway, He's out with the Lions and other big cats, it's behind the horse stalls." With that, Gilbert retrieved his bird and waved goodbye, going off to find something suitably "awesome" to do.

Feliciano swallowed. As far as he knew, the Circus only had one Lion Tamer, Who he had met earlier today. Said Lion Tamer was named Ludwig was tall and a little frightening when he wanted to be.

"Why would he want to see me?" Feliciano was murming to himself now. Deciding that he might as well get it over with, he propped the push broom against the bleachers, and went to go Find the Lion Tamer.

**A/N: Alright, Have another chapter. Thank you to those who reviewed the first chapter, I really appreciated the feedback. I'm doing my best to watch my Grammar, so If I'm doing something wrong and missing it, Please don't hesitate to inform me.**

**Aside from that, I'm a little worried that I'm making Feliciano too smart, of all things. I've always thought he was capable of rational thought, but I wonder If I'm just strange, because not too many people seem to think so. If I'm getting them too Out of character, please let me know, I'll try to fix it! C: And with that, Thanks for reading!**

**-P.S **


	3. Smile for me!

Feliciano made his way across the grounds, humming quietly in time with the crunch of the grass under his feet. It was starting to get dark, and the sun was casting a yellow orange glow over the scenery, making Feliciano think of the quickly approaching autumn. Summer was coming to a close, and that meant that the leaves would change their colors in a dazzling display soon, as the air began to chill and the remaining storms made their way out, pouring their contents into the earth as if the clouds were crying over the approaching winter.

Even though he liked all the seasons fairly equally, he had a soft spot for autumn. During the autumn months the world was still fairly warm, but not too warm, and exploded with colors. He had always loved watching the leaves turn, and the sharp contrast they had with the cornflower colored sky.

Feliciano looked around to see if he was close to the horses yet. The only bad thing about walking places was that it could be so slow, and when you're curious abut where you're going, it seemed even slower. That's what Feliciano thought, anyway. When he saw the horse stalls approaching his view, he broke into a run, stopping for a minute when he almost ran squarely into a pole. "That would have hurt." He held up his hands as though fending away the hunk of wood, and looked around for where the lions could be.

He spent several minutes poking around different areas, finding everything but Lions. When he accidentally walked into a few acrobats changing in a tent, he was quickly shoved in the right direction after he apologized profusely (There were ladies in there, and he was a gentleman, after all. Well, he tried, anyway.) and was struck with what he could only assume was a walk and was screamed at in what he assumed was Cantonese.

Holding his head and muttering to himself, He flopped down into a set of hay bales that presented itself next to what appeared to a corral. The wooden fence was worn, But you could still see some of the paint chips clinging onto it for dear life. Feliciano rubbed his eyes let a little noise, figuring he'd better get back up and look for Ludwig.

When he sat up, he was hit squarely in the face with a hay bale.

He spluttered and flailed for a few seconds so he could get a good portion of it out his face. He had a firm grip on it, like it was going to leap up and attack him once more, and looked to see where it came from, in case its belligerent brethren came to follow up the rear. Instead of hay bales rolling up to assault a clown with a mounting headache, he was greeted by the sight of Ludwig, a little less organized than when he had seen him last, looking at him with Evident surprise.

"Just what are you doing?" He was holding another bale, and his eyebrows were raised. Feliciano couldn't help but notice how much softer his expression seemed in the dimming light. It was nice, and smiled at Ludwig before explaining himself.

"I was looking for you! Gilbert said you were looking for me!" He sat up and rested his elbows on his knees, followed by his chin on the heels of his hands in one fluid motion. "I hope he wasn't playing a joke on me, that would be an awful thing to do to such a gullible clown." Feliciano looked up at Ludwig and the smile dropped just a fraction of an inch.

"No, He wasn't." Ludwig was still just standing with the hay in his grasp, ramrod straight in posture and still confused in expression.

Sitting up Straighter, Feliciano waited for Ludwig to speak and tell him why he'd asked for him. Unfortunately, Ludwig was remaining Silent. "Well….?" Feliciano leaned forward and made a small motion with his hands, indicating that he wanted Ludwig to talk.

Ludwig jolted a little. "Right. I just wanted to apologize for when one of the lions approached you earlier. That's all."

Feliciano Raised an eyebrow, and stood up, quickly walking a circle around Ludwig and looking him up and down. Ludwig was rather unnerved by this, and said (probably a little louder then he had intended) "What are you looking at me like that for?"

"I think you're broken." Feliciano sounded very serious, and looked very serious.

"Excuse me?" Ludwig was flabbergasted. He set the hay bale down and looked at Feliciano like he was out of his mind.

"I mean, who thanks a clown? I'm not used to it, that's for sure. I can count the times people have told me thank you on my fingers. But…I like it. It's nice." Feliciano was still pacing in circles, making exaggerated gestures with his hands. He twirled to make sure he was facing Ludwig and bowed low to the ground. "So, I thank you. You're sweet."

"Are you always this ridiculous?" Ludwig furrowed his brow and was watching Feliciano cautiously.

"Are you always so serious? I certainly hope not, because it's breaking my heart." Feliciano grabbed his chest dramatically, spinning a circle and flopping onto the ground, eyes closed. After a couple of seconds, he opened one eye just enough to see Ludwig looking down at him like he was some kind of diseased animal. He got back up straight and hopped onto a hay bale so he could rest his arms on Ludwig's shoulders and talk quietly into his ear. "A person should smile more, my friend. If you keep such a stern face, it'll freeze that way."

Ludwig jumped and made Feliciano pinwheel a little to maintain his balance as his taller companion moved away and began to eye him warily.

With a small laugh, Feliciano hopped down off of the hay bale and begin to walk I various directions, talking the entire time.

"Don't look at me with such a surprised expression. I'm a clown, you know." Here, Feliciano made an exaggerated motion and rested the tips of his fingers just below his collar bone, wrist arched sharply. "My entire profession is built upon human emotion. I perform so often that it has become part of my nature to please people and make them smile." He pulled at the corners of his mouth and tilted his head.

"Think about it. People like to be happy, and when they're sad, they want to be happy once more! So, as a clown, it is my duty to ensure that young people like yourself, and older people, and all other people, smile as much as they possibly can." He took an exaggerated bow, bending so low that his bangs brushed the ground. He tilted his head up in this position to look up as much as he could, though from Ludwig's point of view his honey colored eyes weren't visible under his eyelashes and hair.

"I see." Ludwig cleared his throat shifted in place some before Feliciano Stood up. "It's awfully…silly to think that someone can be happy all the time, though. I'm sure even you are sad sometimes." Ludwig was trying to pick his words carefully, but it only made him look a little awkward.

"What are you talking about? Clowns can be sad, sure, but not for long." Feliciano grinned happily, skipping to cover the few feet of space between him and Ludwig. "That would be like me assuming that you never smile."

"Wasn't that your assumption in the first place?" Ludwig raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, details. Don't think too much into it." Feliciano waved a hand to dismiss the matter. "So, did you need anything else? If not, it's getting dark and my brother will want me back so we can get some dinner." He motioned to the sky that was turning a brilliant mixture of cornflower and navy blue, all but devoid of the orange of dusk. Stars were starting to poke out, making themselves known in their sparkly brilliance.

Ludwig jolted a little in surprise. "I didn't notice how late it was getting. I apologize." And it was sincere, he dipped his head a little to hide his reddening face. "But no, there's nothing else. Thank for stopping by…" He froze. He couldn't remember the clown's name at all. He hadn't earlier either, he had to describe him to Gilbert to get the message delivered.

"Feliciano, Ludwig. I'm Feliciano." Feliciano patted his shoulder gently and laughed softly. "You can call me Feli if you like. Your brother does, and so does my own. I like to play the accordion and concertina, and I sleep in the gypsy cart with all of the paintings on the side."

Ludwig was a little unsure what to do with all of the extraneous details, so he just nodded and said goodbye in an awkward manner before he started to walk back towards the corral, hopping over the fence to get at some props left in the middle.

Feliciano watched him go, and when Ludwig's back was to him, his smile dropped just a fraction of an inch. It was such a shame he was so serious. With his ramrod like posture, and stern expression, you'd think he didn't know how to smile.

With a wave to Ludwig, who wasn't watching anymore, Feliciano started his walk back across the grounds to find Lovino for dinner, whistling softly to himself. Looking up at the last traces of light blue leaving the sky, Feliciano couldn't help but think how much prettier the blue in Ludwig's eyes must be when he was smiling.

**AN: Ahhh! I'm sorry that this took a while to update. Classes have started for me, though, so I'm afraid that I won't be able to update as often. And This one is just a little shorter than the previous chapters. Ach. I honestly was at a loss on how to handle the conversation for a while, when it comes to writing Ludwig, I'm grasping at straws. But Practice makes perfect, right? **

**Anyway, I wanted to thank you all again for the lovely reveiws, Especially on Chapter two, you're all really kind! I tried to fix my problem of capitalizing random words. Any other mistakes I may make, please let me know! So I think that's It. Hope you enjoyed it! **

**-P.S. **


	4. Good Morning, Good Morning!

Feliciano was woken the next morning by a mixture of angry tapping and chirping. He tried to roll back over and sleep some more, but the noise simply became more persistent, and much louder. After his brother let out a string of profanities, he decided it would be in his best interest to raise himself before a malicious foot delivered him out from under the covers. He unwrapped himself from the blankets, trying not to expose any of his brother's skin to the colder outside air. He really, really, wanted to keep all of him limbs intact this morning. He couldn't help but admit that sometimes, bunking with his brother was more hazardous to his health than getting into the circus ring with a buch of lions.

They had bunked together since they were little, because they used to share the gypsy cart with their grandfather. They would travel around, putting on shows in different towns, often playing stock characters from Commedia Dell'arte skits.

Feliciano was often stuck playing Columbina, he had been a small, relatively demure child, unlike Lovino, whose temperament often got him stuck with the part of a very angry Pantalone. Their grandfather would switch between Perrot and Harlequin magnificently, and he was probably the real reason anyone ever watched and put money in the jars they set out to begin with. It wasn't too glamorous of an existence, but they were so very happy together, that they really didn't mind. When their grandfather had passed away, neither of them had had the heart to move to the other side of the cart. They just changed the blankets on that bunk and it remained unused.

When Feliciano finally found his way out of the sheets, he stood up, stretched, and turned back to make sure he hadn't awoken his brother. Lovino was still asleep, but his fingers were grasping for the portions of blanket Feliciano had worked out from under him. Suppressing a chuckle, Feliciano tucked the blankets back around his brother, her snuggled into them with a contented noise and a small smacking of lips.

Crossing the floor as quietly as he could, (Which, in retrospect, wasn't very quietly, he ran into multiple pieces of furniture) Feliciano opened the latch on the window and pushed on the shutters, only to be greeted by the sight of a very angry yellow bird, who had somehow managed to inflate itself to almost three times its original size, just by fluffing out its feathers and poofing his little chest out. Feliciano blinked a couple of times, trying to process, before picking the little bird up with a cheery "Good morning!"

The bird deflated itself, satisfied to be receiving the attention that it had wanted so badly. With a small chuckle, Feliciano rubbed the bird's head with his index finger before leaning a little out of the window. "So where's Gilbert, my little friend? You never go anywhere with him."

The bird chirped and jumped out of Feliciano's hands (Causing him to squeal in a rather undignified and frightened manner which earned him a pillow to the side of the head, courtesy of the ever friendly Lovino) landing square on something that grumbled in what sounded like German before it moved out from under a mass of dark coat and revealed itself to be Gilbert.

"I'm not getting up yet, Lud. Stuff it and go fu-"

"That's not a very nice way to talk to your brother, even if he isn't here." Feliciano rested his chin on his hand and looked down at Gilbert with amused smile spreading over his lips.

"Wha-?" Gilbert blinked and looked up, causing his feathered friend to drop down into his lap because of the sudden change in position. "Would you look at that. Yo, Feli! Your face is definitely something better to wake up to than Lud's." A familiar cackle filled the surrounding air, until it was cut of by some sleepy sounding Spanish and French.

"Francis? Antonio? Don't tell me you all went out drinking again, the last time you did, you all came back without your pants!" Feliciano was leaning as far out of the window as he could to see if he could catch a glimpse of the other two, to the point of gripping the ledge of the window and pulling himself far enough out to get one of his feet into the air, the other barely making contact with the floor via his toes.

Antonio appeared first, glittering green eyes blinking awake in a manner similar to a cat as he worked his way out from under the coat. He leaned heavily on Gilbert as he adjusted to look up, and immediately smiled one of his relaxed, playful grins when he caught sight of who was talking. "Feli! It's good to see you. How's your brother, Lovino?" It was a wonder that he could speak so clearly with his cheek squished into Gilbert's shoulder like it was.

Feliciano chuckled. Antonio_ always_ asked about his brother, it never failed. He thought it was just the cutest thing when Lovino was embarrassed, since he would turn red, just like a beet, or in Antonio's words, "The cutest little tomato he had ever seen in his life." Lovino would promptly shut him up with some kind of insult or blow to the head. With a little wave, Feliciano greeted him. "Hello, Antonio! Lovino is doing just fine. He's still sleeping right now, but I'm sure you'll see him later."

Antonio's smile dropped a little, and it looked like he was about to sigh, but then Gilbert jumped violently, screeching something that sounded suspiciously like "Francis, what are you grabbing".

The individual in question surfaced from under the coat, scooting a little farther back to get a good view of the people next to him. "And just why are you two cuddling without me?" Francis looked dejected, pouting like a puppy.

"Can we get back to just why you think it's ok to grope peop- Feli, where are you going?" Gilbert looked up as Feliciano began to wiggle back inside of the cart.

"I need to get some clothes on, Gilbert! I'll bring you guys out some sweets, ok?"

"Don't hide that beautiful Italian skin from us, my dear!" Francis blew a multitude of kisses in Feliciano's direction, only causing him to duck in the window more quickly, with a shaky laugh and a rushed apology.

The shutters quickly closed and locked, and Feliciano didn't even try to be quiet as he searched through trunks for something to wear, finding a pair of beige pants that he wasn't quite sure were his own, a patchwork vest in different shades of purple and cold and orange, probably a gift from Elizavetta, and a navy pinstriped shirt that he knew was his because of the buttons down the front that didn't match. He didn't really bother to make replacement buttons match if he fixed a shirt, but Lovino did. (Now if only he could get his brother to be so meticulous when he was cleaning the house.)

As he got dressed, he heard his brother sit up and grumble something about how loud it was, at least that's what Feliciano thought it was about, he only caught the swears. Feliciano scrambled to get his shirt all the way over his head to respond. (He wasn't even going to try with the buttons, he almost always did them wrong.) "Antonio's outside with Francis and Gilbert! You should probably go say good morning, he asked about you."

Lovino spluttered and turned a brilliant shade of scarlet, saying, "Just what is that stupid bastard doing here so early anyway?"

Feliciano shrugged, pulling a glass jar of sweets off of a shelf. "I think they went out drinking last night, and were too drunk to make it back to their own beds. They're just going to get sick that way, once it gets colder." Feliciano flashed his brother a warm smile before continuing. "But he really seemed to want to see you, you know."

Feliciano didn't wait for response before sticking his feet into his shoes and walking out of the door to the back of the wagon, hopping down to the grass and making his way over to the side where Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio were huddled.

He put the jar of sweets into Gilbert's lap, then sat down in front of the trio. "Next time you should knock. We'll let you in, you know."

"I don't want to risk death by your brother, though- and Oh! Feli, have I ever told you that you were incredibly wonderful?" Gilbert happily hugged the jar as he said this, his face forming an expression of delight that made him look like a child. It was more than a little congruous with his normal personality. He then passed it to Antonio. "He's a really monster when he's waking up." Feliciano had the feeling he was going to continue speaking, but he simply began to splutter because Francis sprawled acrossed his lap.

"Oh come on, he's not that bad!" Feliciano had a hard time containing his laughter. Of all the things these three were, boring wasn't one of them.

Seeing some movement out of the corner of his eyes, Feliciano turned his head to look out over the fairground. He was greeted by the sight of none other than Ludwig, walking across the grass in the general direction of the Big Top and the fairground entrance.

"Oh! Gilbert, It's your brother!" Feliciano stood up, trying to get a better view.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I guess so. The guy's probably off to do something work related. He's an early riser with an endless to do list." Gilbert sighed, his shoulders sagging. "He used to be such a cute kid, too! I don't know how he grew up to be such a boring guy!" Gilbert leaned heavily on Antonio, who simply laughed and patted his head understandingly.

"Never the less, I'm going to go say hello. There's still a couple of hours before the afternoon show at least, I'm sure he can spare the time." So, with a wave and a smile, Feliciano set off in Ludwig's direction.

About halfway towards his target, Feliciano couldn't help but think that maybe it would be fun to surprise Ludwig. Everyone liked surprises, right? So, he veered off to the left towards some pushes, staying low until he caught up with the other individual.

Then, once he was at a close enough distance, he ran up as quietly as he could, and tugged the hem of Ludwig's shirt lightly. His plan had been to do this, hide, and repeat the process a few times.

However, he wasn't expecting Ludwig to react so quickly and lift Feliciano off of the ground, asking him to state his name and purpose at a pace almost to fast to follow.

Maybe Ludwig didn't like surprises.

But Feliciano had to admit, he wasn't used to being picked up so easily, and it had been quite a lot of fun. So he really couldn't help giggling and greeting Ludwig with an exuberant "Ciao!"

_**A/N:**_

_**AH! How long has it been? I'm very sorry for the lateness. Beyond this, I hope that you all enjoyed reading this portion, and thank you for sticking with this story, if you have! (I have to say, I think Gilbird is my favorite character to write, at the moment.) And I think Ludwig has acted more like himself in this chapter than any of the other chapters, even if we only see him for a moment or so this time. The last scene was a lot of fun to write. **_

_**Have a nice day!**_

_**-P.S.**_


	5. Facing Fears

Feliciano wasn't very good at sitting still. He would wiggle and squirm, look around, then repeat the process for how ever long he had to remain in the same place.

As such, he was wiggling on a bench at this current moment, watching Ludwig move props around the corral, pushing and turning pieces into different positions to get a set up that he liked for the show later. He was the type to make pages and pages of plans for a simple action, which, admittedly was good, since he handled such dangerous animals, but it made it an absolute night mare to watch him set up.

He had been changing the same four pieces for over an hour.

Feliciano buried his face in his hands as Ludwig moved a pedestal for what had to be the fourteenth time. He had been helping the lion tamer at first, but after he somehow managed to drop a heavier prop and almost land with his head directly under it, Ludwig had banished him to the edge of the corral.

This wasn't how Feliciano had intended to spend his morning. While it had been fun to be scooped up so easily earlier, (It was kind of like flying! Almost. Only with a big, muscled, most likely repressed lion tamer serving as the harness.) it certainly wasn't entertaining to watch Ludwig grit his teeth and pace around for over two hours.

Peeking out between his fingers, he watched Ludwig survey his work (again). This morning hadn't been entirely fruitless, he supposed. Though getting information out of the man was like pulling teeth, he had learned that Ludwig liked to read, he did really happen to like potatoes, he probably would have been an engineer or gone into military service if he hadn't come to the circus (And with his build and attitude, it really wasn't surprising.) and Feliciano was pretty sure he had heard him mumble something about liking to bake. Which made Feliciano chuckle and earned him a glare that could have killed a legion of voracious bears.

Even without Ludwig telling him outright, Feliciano had learned other things. He was a clown, so of course he had to be able to read people. Ludwig's attention to detail and ridiculous love affair with order was kind of like his security blanket. He liked to have control over every aspect of his life, because, probably, he was uncomfortable with the unknown. Which really wasn't uncommon, people liked safety, after all. Though most people didn't take it so far as to schedule specific times to pause and tie their shoelaces. But, underneath all of that, Ludwig seemed to be a decent guy, Honest, hardworking and in the possession of above average intelligence.

Feliciano just wished he would loosen up a little.

He sat up straighter when Ludwig started walking towards him. Apparently this setting fit the needs for the show. Which was good, because maybe Feliciano would get to move some, his legs were on the way to being numb.

"Don't you have your own act to prepare for? You could have left a while ago." Ludwig reached over the fence for something, and Feliciano didn't want to fall off the fence and, as such, didn't lean back to see what it was.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, the show doesn't start for a while, anyway." Feliciano waved a hand, grinning and laughing happily.

"The show starts in half an hour." Ludwig looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, stopping in the middle of getting back up.

"See? Plenty of ti-" Feliciano froze, suddenly picturing the various manifestations of his brother's anger from a few previous occasions where he had been grievously late. "Ok, maybe not."

There was a huff from the lion tamer that pretty much told Feliciano that he was in for a massive scolding if he didn't get going to work.

With a pout, he hopped down off of the side of the corral and gave Ludwig a cheery salute. "Well, I'll be off then. Goodbye, my captain, and good luck with your lions!" His tone was militant, but the fact that he was saluting with the wrong hand and couldn't suppress a growing smile that lit up his entire face kept him from seeming very serious.

Ludwig finished standing up and eyed him curiously, responding gruffly, "Alright, alright, now get you should get going."

Feliciano grimaced and stuck out his tongue, scampering over to push Ludwig's cheeks to get a kind of simulated smile out of him. "Come on now, you should smile when talking to a friend."

The effect was extremely comical, and a little frightening.

"Alright, that wasn't what I was going for." Feliciano had a hard time keeping his laughter in his lungs.

"Feliciano." Ludwig's eyebrows were doing a pretty wonderful job of displaying the man's displeasure all on their own, and Feliciano relented, dropping his hands.

"You are absolutely ridiculous. I have no idea how you manage to function," And Ludwig's speech continued, but all Feliciano really heard was "I just want you to away, right now. As in this instant. What are you still doing standing here?" and Feliciano, while incredibly naïve, was not stupid.

"Alright, Alright. Bye, Ludwig!" He shrugged, and started to walk off, defeated.

Even clowns can't force people to smile, you know.

.

"What the hell is your problem?"

Lovino's raised eyebrow and scowl were making it incredibly hard to apply the clown white to his face.

"My only problem is how difficult you're making this, relax your face some, please." Feliciano smoothed some more of the thick base makeup on Lovino's forehead, then the apples of his cheeks.

"Bullshit. You look like someone killed your best friend or something." Lovino relaxed his face, but he still sounded incredulous.

Feliciano bit a lip as he finished applying the last of the required white makeup, his face lighting up with almost childish glee once he surveyed his work. Smooth as an eggshell. He responded quickly while reaching to get a black pencil from the counter. "Nothing is bothering me."

Lovino snorted and furrowed his brow, much to Feliciano's dismay, and he had to fight with him to relax his face once more.

"The only thing that could even count as a worry right now is Ludwig, and that really doesn't even count as a worry, so it's nothing." Feliciano begin to outline Lovino's eyes carefully, holding his face steady while be began to fume once more.

"I told you he was fucking bad news! And here you go, hopping off to make friends with him. Not everyone is worth making friends with, you know. I bet you he doesn't even want friends, I mean-"

Feliciano pushed Lovino's chin up to close his mouth, and received a glare for it. "Oh don't look at me like that. I needed your mouth closed to put on the rest of the make up."

"Like shit you did, you aren't even done with the eyes yet."

"I'm highly forgetful, so maybe I'm just making a mistake and going out of order." Feliciano really had just wanted his brother to stop talking. He knew that Lovino didn't like Ludwig, but Ludwig wasn't a bad guy. Serious, definitely, but bad? No, Feliciano didn't think so, and he was kind of sad that his brother felt that way.

Plus, it hurt Feliciano's pride that he couldn't get Ludwig to smile. He pursed his lips as he finished lining Lovino's eyes, and he grabbed a red grease pencil and filled in his lips, the red making his mouth stand out like a big blinking sign.

It was a clown's job to make people happy, to make them laugh and smile. Feliciano liked to think he was pretty good at it, he had never failed before, even when he was young (Though his chubby cheeks and androgyny probably helped him out at that age.) so he was at a loss that he couldn't even get the lion tamer to crack a smile, or even make a noise of acknowledgement that didn't sound vaguely disgusted. He furrowed his eyebrows and leaned back to survey his work.

"That should do!"

Lovino snorted and glanced quickly in the mirror, his eyes darting from his face to Feliciano's, giving a curt nod of approval at the matching make-up. "How you do this on your own face, I'll never know.

"Practice." Feliciano had done his own face in considerably less time not too long before. Feliciano played with his brother's outfit a little, his eyes passing over patches of color as he straightened buttons.

"What are you, my mother?" Lovino had a smile about ready to appear on his face then, so Feliciano wasn't too worried. He liked it when Lovino relaxed, even if it wasn't by much.

"I don't know, if I was your mother, I would have raised a more polite child!" Feliciano laughed and pinched Lovino's nose, earning himself a slap on the back of the head that almost formed a headache. But he heard the breathy chuckle under a variety of insults, so it was alright, and he didn't mind.

Feliciano rubbed the back of his bead and turned to pick up the accordion sitting on the table, standing up to make his way out to the fair grounds, and then back to the entrance of the big top, just like always.

He started to play just as the first children appeared, laughing and pulling parents and older siblings along. He smiled brightly, and paused to start waving as Lovino appeared, the same plastic-y smile on his face that he wore every day for work. Thankfully the children didn't seem to notice how odd his face really was, as long as he nodded, said hello, and continued to hand them balloons and sweets that he kept in the deep pockets of his costume.

Feliciano laughed happily as some of the smallest children stopped and looked up at him with awed faces, mouths hanging open and eyes widened to the size of small saucers. They began to smile, trying to hug his legs and shouting happily about the clown, except for one, whose eyes bubbled up with tears as she tried to hide.

The poor little thing was scared of clowns. Well. Feliciano titled his head and stopped playing his accordian for a moment, knitting his brows in what looked the confusion. The child only continued to hide, and confusion gave way to a look akin to that of a beaten puppy. So, Feliciano scooted over, scrouching down to be at eye level with the child, who poked her head out tentatively, and blinked in surprise, before reaching a trembling little hand to poke his snowy white nose, holding her breath as if she was frightened of his reaction.

He smiled good naturedly, and took her little hand, kissing it dramatically before somehow going from his crouching position to an almost regal bow, save his bouncing cowlick and bright costume. He took the conical hat off of his head and somehow managed to bow lower, his nose almost grazing the ground. When he peered up, the little girl was blushing and starry eyed, her fear quickly changing to adoration for this gentlemanly clown.

His smile stuck on his face as he handed her a brightly wrapped candy from his ridiculously deep pockets, and shuffled back to resume his accordion playing. The little girl held the candy to her heart, and had to be ushered inside, lest she watch the clown all day.

Lovino rolled his eyes and spoke out of the corner of his mouth as a large portion of the people made their way inside. "Keep that up, and you'll have an army of kindergarten children at your disposal."

Feliciano grinned and simply started to play a faster, happier song, allowing himself to be pushed and pulled by the children as they rushed by, eager to see the show.

Once the crowd began to dwindle, Feliciano and Lovino circled around to the back of the tent in the same practiced routine, and were greeted by familiar chaos.

As Feliciano scanned over the large groups of performers, from the acrobats to the irritable sharp shooter they had picked up in Switzerland, and Antonio and Gilbert laughin about something in the corner as Gilbert saddled up a horse for a lap around the ring to begin the show.

Something new however, that made Feliciano smile (Though he supposed he wouldn't admit it, he was still supposed to be mad at his new friend for sending him away after all. But sometimes he really couldn't help himself.) was Ludwig stacking up props by the side of the tent that opened to where Feliciano presumed the lions were kept.

He tried to run over, to greet Ludwig with a cheerful hug, (Though he knew he'd be scolded for it) but was railroaded by an overly excited Elizabetta, with costumes in her hands.

"I had the cutest idea for your costumes today!" She squealed and started fishing through a pile of clothes she was holding in her hands. Judging by her excitement, these new costumes were going to be a little…less than ideal for poor Feliciano and Lovino. So, in a quick act of self preservation, Feliciano began to reply, a little hesitantly.

"…Couldn't we just….w-wear our clown costumes? It'd save time, and-" Feliciano had his brother's hand clamped over his mouth quickly, and heard angry hissing in his ear, colored by an extra note of fear.

"Do you want to get us killed? She's crazy with her costuming. And-" Lovino froze and looked over at Elizabetta, who seemed frozen in place.

"But you haven't seen them yet! Don't you trust me?" Elizabetta frowned and placed her hands on her hips.

"NO!" The brothers shouted in unison, only to realize what they had actually said. "WAIT! WE MEAN YES! YES WE DO!" Feliciano gulped and continued the sentence.

"But, it took a long time to change, and we don't want to give you more work to worry about." He smiled lamely. He had a feeling he was digging himself an even deeper hole. But before he could stay and see if his hypothesis was correct, it was the clowns' turn to go out into the ring.

Feliciano had never been more thankful to hear the ringmaster's voice.

"Well go on, get out there, you don't have all day!" Alfred laughed and ushered them towards the ring. He always seemed to be in a rush.

Feliciano had never gotten used to the way the lights felt on his eyes when he moved from the dark space in the back and out to greet the crowd. He still blinked owlishly, and he still delighted the crowd with his dazed expression, no matter how many times they saw it.

But as he joined his brother in acting a skit they had used before, granted, not in a long while, but he still couldn't help but feel a sense of monotony setting in. He didn't let the crowd know, of course. He still ran in circles and made undignified squeals and dopey expressions as though it was the first time.

His grandfather had always been big on that. Commit to what you're doing. If you need to take a tumble, or run into a wall, do it as though you're a masochist who wants to be covered in bruises later. Though running into a wall sounded incredibly painful, Feliciano got what he had meant. For the crowd to believe it, you had to believe it.

And right now he certainly believed that Lovino was sitting on his back with this ridiculous triumphant grin on his face. Feliciano twitched in an irritable manner before leaping up and engaging in a tumbling mock fight that rolled the brothers out of the ring amidst the sound of laughter and applause.

After the brothers untangled themselves from each other in the back of the tent, Feliciano brushed some of the dust off and stretched a little, arching his back and reaching skywards. He wondered when they were going to change up their routine a little. Something new would be nice, and they usually tried something different every month or so anyway, Lovino wouldn't be opposed.

He hoped. Lovino could be pretty stubborn when he wanted.

Feliciano sat down on a barrel and watched Gilbert walk out into the ring to direct what Feliciano knew was a huge line of horses. Sure, there were a few riders, mostly young performers, but the horses listened to Gilbert and Gilbert only. He was incredibly good at his work, if nothing else.

He flicked his eyes over to the back of the tent and saw Francis, talking something over with Roderick, the music director. He tilted his head and thought for a minute. Francis did almost all of the cooking for the circus, except for breakfast and dinner. (Though sometimes if he was in a particularly good mood…) He made lunch and passed it out in between acts, so the performers could eat quickly and continue with their work. So, it was Francis who made the sweets that Feliciano and Lovino would pass out, though more often than not, he'd ask them to help him, since that was a lot of sweets to make. Someone had to wrap them, and Feliciano seemed to have an endless supply of colorful paper to wrap them in. Feliciano had been astounded by the man's ingenuity when he had first arrived. Francis was able to make the sweets for the show without a proper kitchen. He only needed a heat source and his heavy trunk of cooking utensils. Feliciano had spent a whole week just watching him work. It was insane what the man could do with a cast iron pot and a folding card table.

He had no idea what he could be doing talking to Roderick. He had half a mind to go over and be nosy, but he was practically scooped up by a familiar, and overexcited, costumer.

When Feliciano finally got his bearings, he was on a stool, and his brother was looking at him with a mixture of irritation and helplessness. Elizabetta was chattering away as she wiped the make up off of his face and smoothed down his hair.

Obviously she had already forgotten about the earlier request. Or was just choosing to ignore it. He liked Elizabetta, and she was really good at her job, but she could take weeks to decide on costumes, and sometimes her choices could be a little outlandish, usually just before she settled on something more practical and final. So when she reached for today's experimental articles of clothing, he braced himself for an explosion of sequins, or raging patterns. He was surprised when he was handed a white shirt and some black pants to change into. He looked at them, and then back at Elizabetta.

"I figured you and Ludwig should match." She smiled happily. "The other costume didn't go together very well with his."

Once Feliciano had changed and was tying on a pair of oxford shoes, she pulled out a bright yellow ribbon and tapped his chin so he'd lift his head up, and tied a bow in place around the color where a tied would go.

"There we go!" She smiled and surveyed her handiwork. "Now you and Ludwig match enough that it doesn't look strange, but you still definitely look like you!" She helped him up and pushed him in Ludwig's direction. "Now you go and get ready for your next act while I fix up grumpy pants over here." She laughed and made a motion to Lovino.

So, Feliciano walked over to where Ludwig was, marking of something on a list and straightening his tie, still an incredibly vibrant crimson. After waiting to be noticed for a few seconds, Feliciano cleared his throat, waving when Ldwig started and turned around.

"So, you think the lion is going to try to eat me again today?" He laughed a little nervously. He wasn't upset with the lion or anything, he was just nervous, and it made sense, since he was about to go out into the ring with it again.

Ludwig responded matter of factly. "No." He glanced up from the list and looked at Feliciano. "Of that I can assure you. You will be perfectly safe in the ring."

Feliciano raised an eyebrow. "Oh dear, Ludwig, you don't mean to tell me you care?" He had trouble keeping bubbles of laughter from escaping his lips. He had been expecting a total dismissal, not a reassurance of his safety.

Ludwig immediately snapped to attention, his face turning the color of a beet. "I'm not quite sure of what you're insinuating." He looked like was floundering with what else to say.

"Calm down, silly!" He patted Ludwig's back just as the lights begin to dim. "Now go on, your act is starting. The props come out in the same order as yesterday, am I correct?"

Ludwig managed to compose himself, and started to leave, relaying instructions to Feliciano quickly as he could. "For the most part, but there are a few changes- I made sure to number the pieces for you in the order they come out, and the cues are on the back." And then with a few quick, calculated steps, he was off to go get the lions out for the show.

Lovino finally made his way over, grimacing as he tried to loosen the mint colored ribbon around his neck.

"The woman's a demon, I though she was going to choke me." He hissed. But Feliciano really wasn't listening. He had already picked up the prop marked with the number one, he had already read the cue. And just like the entire audience from yesterday and today, he stood mesmerized by the lion tamer's act.

Since he had seen Ludwig work before, he figured he wouldn't be sucked in as with the first time watching. But here he was, eyes glued to Ludwig and the lions as the moved around the ring.

He almost missed his first cue, and had to scramble out to hand Ludwig his first prop, doing his best to move quickly, but in the same controlled manner he had been taught to, so the lions wouldn't be startled. He handed Ludwig the prop happily, smiling and looking at the lions briefly.

Both were rigid and regal, like their trainer, regarding him in a cool manner. However, the one to the right would twitch occasionly. Feliciano had trouble moving his eyes from the sight and retreating after receiving a curt nod of approval from Ludwig. As he made his way to the back, Lovino passed him, smiling in a way that made him seem incredibly irritated, and went to hand Ludwig his second prop.

When Feliciano was safely behind the curtain, he peered around to get a better view of the lions, particularly the one with the odd twitch. It seemed bored with Lovino, and would looked other places from time to time, and eventually made eye contact with Feliciano.

And it froze, staring.

Oh, God.

Feliciano couldn't help but tremble a little, the thing was huge! Before it had just licked him, but now it was _watching_ him. It was probably considering just how to eat him. Face first, probably. Feliciano's trembling only got worse when his brother started walking back and the lion didn't even move, its eyes still trained on him.

He inhaled deeply, trying to calm down. Only then did he remember what Ludwig had told him before. _I can assure you. You will be perfectly safe in the ring. _

As he stepped out into the ring with the third prop,Feliciano really hoped he wasn't lying.

_**A/N: Not much to say about this one. I did enjoy writing Feliciano and Lovino's interactions, though. I love sibling relationships. CX Anyway, I hope you all have an awesome day, thanks for reading, and thank you for your feedback, I'm always excited to see it! **_


End file.
